File photo: Evan Turpen races down a steep track at China Peak in 2018. Photo by Kasey Carames.

So far, 2026 hasn’t been too kind to bike parks. Between opening-weekend storms and lift projects, a few popular bike parks have delayed or closed their seasons altogether. And, unfortunately, a third bike park recently announced its closure after the 2026 season.

China Peak, outside Fresno, California, will be open for a handful of days this season and will shut down bike park operations after the summer. The small bike park was known for trails that accommodate all riding levels, including some spicy DH tracks. China Peak has been a popular stop for different gravity race series, including the California Enduro Series and Southwest Downhill Series.

In a post to their social media accounts, China Peak’s General Manager, Troy Cohee, made the difficult announcement.

“The 2026 summer season will conclude our epic return to the downhill mountain biking that China Peak has offered for the last 15 years.”

Screenshot via China Peak’s Instagram

For 2026, China Peak will be open to the public this Saturday and Sunday, June 20-21. This will also be the weekend that racers descend on the mountain for the Southwest Downhill Series. Additionally, the public will have access to the bike park’s trails on July 4th and September 6th. 

The California Enduro Series has a stop at China Peak on July 11th. While the public is welcome to spectate the race, the trails will not be open. Typically, China Peak is open every weekend between July 4th and Labor Day. For 2026, China Peak needed to scale back the schedule.

In his post, Cohee didn’t give a reason for the park’s closure, but confirmed the decision was “largely a financial decision” in an email with Singletracks. Cohee also mentioned that rising insurance costs were a factor.

Looking to the future, Cohee says that they have “no intention to eliminate the existing trails.” While lift operations will stop, Cohee hopes the trails can stay open for riders to pedal up, as long as China Peak can do so “without any liability risk.”

In 2023, China Peak, along with other California resorts, struggled to open for the summer season on time due to record snowfall over the winter.

Other bike park struggles

Earlier this year, we reported on two other bike parks that have run into roadblocks in 2026. Telluride, Colorado, announced that its bike park would be closed for the 2026 season while it upgrades the park’s lifts.

In an announcement on their website, Telluride said, “Due to the Lift 4 operational upgrade project scheduled for this spring, we’ve made the difficult decision to plan for a closure of the Telluride Bike Park for the upcoming summer season. This project will begin immediately following the mountain’s closure in April. While we explored multiple options, there are too many variables that would need to align in order to provide lift-served and/or alternative access to the Bike Park during construction.”

While the lift updates are the reason for the closure, rumors have circulated that the decision was made in retaliation for an employee strike. The strike, which was the longest in professional ski patrol history, created the most challenging season in Telluride’s history.

The Tamarack Express / Photo by Travis Reill

Moving north to Idaho, Tamarack Bike Park also had to close after celebrating its opening weekend. A Memorial Day windstorm damaged one of the lift towers on the Tamarack Express, the resort’s only bike park lift.

“Here’s where things stand: repair is already in motion as tower replacement begins June 1, with an estimated 3-5 weeks for installation, followed by final inspection and certification. We’re targeting a mid-June to early July reopening and will keep you updated as work progresses,” Tamarack said in an Instagram post.

While lift operations are on pause, Tamarack’s extensive XC trail network remains open.